Emphasizing the value of difference may protect affirmative action while reinforcing inequalities. While education shows great concern for multiple perspectives, it uses diversity to preserve affirmative action. Though research indicates diversity has educational value, its use of prevailing academic practices reinforces the status quo. The main…

A 1992 conference on the status of minorities in higher education is summarized. Issues addressed include speech codes on college campuses, sexual harassment and power, minority scholarships, equal access to higher education under the law, and the need to redress both current inequities and the cumulative effect of discrimination in education.…

Research shows that though college students tend to support diversity, a large percentage are opposed to giving preferences to minorities in the admissions process. Some of the research on the subject is incomplete or misleading. Other studies show that though campuses worry about the stigmatization of students given preferential admission,…

To create beneficial learning environments, it is necessary to make thoughtful, purposeful decisions about how diversity adds to the educational missions of universities, first defining why race matters at all. The paper examines misconceptions that fuel the momentum against affirmative action, discusses the benefits of diversity, and explains how…